Marine wildlife strandings annual reports
The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) maintains StrandNet, a database of marine wildlife strandings and deaths.
The primary focus of this database is to record information on where sick, injured, dying and dead marine cetaceans (whales and dolphins), pinnipeds (seal and sea lions), dugong and turtles have been found in Queensland and assess causes of injury and death, if possible. Incidental information on sharks, rays, seabirds and other marine animals are also recorded.
Data collected and collated in the strandings database is summarised in annual reports produced by DERM staff.
Most reports of individual strandings are supplied by staff of DERM and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Some of these reports come in via RSPCA’s hotline. Other reports come from rescue organisations such as Sea World, Underwater World as well as the general public. The database also contains mortality records from the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation’s shark control program.
StrandNet indicates when marine animal deaths occur directly as a result of human causes, for example through boat strikes, so it plays a role in raising community awareness about how these type of incidents caused by humans can be prevented. The ‘go-slow’ areas in Moreton Bay and dugong protection areas along the eastern Queensland coastline are two changes that were introduced to reduce boat strikes and netting as sources of injury and mortality. These measures were introduced as a direct result of the data recorded in StrandNet.
Whales, dolphins, seals and sea-lions
- Cetacean and pinniped 2007 (PDF, 1.8M)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2006 (PDF, 1.8M)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2005 (PDF, 942K)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2004 (PDF, 1.1M)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2003 (PDF, 958K)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2002 (PDF, 1.0M)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2001 (PDF, 1.0M)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 2000 (PDF, 530K)*
- Cetacean and pinniped 1999 (PDF, 393K)*
Dugong
- Dugong 2009-10 (PDF, 2.0M)*
- Dugong 2008 (PDF, 1.6M)*
- Dugong 2007 (PDF, 2.2M)*
- Dugong 2006 (PDF, 2.8M)*
- Dugong 2005 (PDF, 1.9M)*
- Dugong 2004 (PDF, 882K)*
- Dugong 2003 (PDF, 1.2M)*
- Dugong 2002 (PDF, 1.5M)*
- Dugong 2001 (PDF, 1.0M)*
- Dugong 2000 (PDF, 548K)*
- Dugong 1999 (PDF, 524K)*
- Dugong 1998 (PDF, 158K)*
Marine turtles
- Marine turtles 2005-10 (PDF, 1.3M)*
- Marine turtles 2004 (PDF, 1.0M)*
- Marine turtles 2003 (PDF, 1.4M)*
- Marine turtles 2001-02 (PDF, 1.8M)*
- Marine turtles 2000 (PDF, 628K)*
- Marine turtles 1999 (PDF, 745K)*
* Requires Adobe Reader
Last updated 24 October 2011